Posts Categorized: Stopping Violence Against Women

Terry O’Neill, President of the National Organization for Women, writes in an article for Time about the NFL, Roger Goodell, and Ray Rice. She challenges the victim blaming, manipulation of law enforcement, and misleading of the public in the aftermath of the latest domestic violence case within the NFL community.

“Roger Goodell’s failed leadership strikes again,” said a statement from NOW President Terry O’Neill. “NOW has been saying all along that the NFL doesn’t have a Ray Rice problem, it has a violence against women problem. “An independent judge has called Goodell’s leadership an ‘admitted failure,’ and NOW could not agree more.” O’Neill, who has… Read more »

The National Organization for Women again called for Goodell’s resignation and an independent investigation into the NFL’s response to domestic violence incidents. “Instead of listening to the multiple domestic violence experts that have approached Goodell throughout his tenure,” NOW President Terry O’Neill said in a statement, “he continues to diminish, evade, and deny the realities… Read more »

NOW has been saying all along that the NFL doesn’t have a Ray Rice problem, it has a violence against women problem. An independent judge has called Goodell’s leadership an “admitted failure” and NOW could not agree more. NOW continues to call for Goodell’s resignation and for his successor to conduct a top-to-bottom, comprehensive, independent investigation into the NFL’s response to domestic violence incidents.

Survivors of rape continuously face disbelief, blame, and silence when they attempt to share their stories. The cases that have unfolded around Bill Cosby are no different. As a society, we need to hold accountable all perpetrators of sexual violence – including those with celebrity status – and believe the stories of victims and survivors. We must continue to work to provide support for victims and survivors of sexual assault, seek justice for the crimes committed against them and work through education and prevention efforts to combat the problem of sexual violence and dismantle rape culture.

﻿The National Organization of Women was founded as a grassroots activist organization to affect change on a city, state, and national level. In the year 2014, nearly 50 years since its founding, NOW is still committed to highlighting the strong local chapters across the country that persist in grassroots efforts to create political change.

As the largest and wealthiest sports organization in the U.S., the NFL ought to be a role model. It could show employers everywhere how to deal with domestic violence when it occurs within their institution, and what policies and core values can prevent it.